HOWARD

It’s a world balanced with bows and dinosaurs. It’s wicker baskets filled with embroidered linens. It’s a centerpiece with a rotation of fresh backyard branches. It’s figs for desserts. It’s life caught on film.

Driving out to the home of the Howard family feels like a quiet escape from the city. It’s daytime when we arrive and the broad landscape escorts us into her neighborhood with a warm, gracious welcome. Out here, the focus sharpens on simple pleasures. The sunlight catches details like the subtle sway of the blooming Dogwood branches. The clovers sprouting all around. If it were night, I imagine every star would twinkle a little more visibly, the moon would want to have a direct conversation. This is how it feels in her corner of the earth, like every moment has a bit more clarity, a bit more potential for connection. If you’ve met Anna, you understand perhaps it’s no coincidence that someone so honed in on her intuition, and by extension: her craft, would live in such an environment.

As a photographer, her instinct to engage with her surroundings in a deeply artful way is more than apparent - but stepping into Anna’s world offers an even more profound appreciation for how she effortlessly weaves the breadth of her identity with a vocation dependent upon a devoted eye. From the gentle brushing of her girls hair, to the delicately slipcovered settees, to a quintessential artist studio in the attic, this portrait of life could only be Anna’s. If the ride out to her lovely house with the wide open space which allowed for the shoulders to soften and the thoughts to be less crowded felt like a luxury, that feeling is directly matched by the interior energy. Sounds of “rawr’s” and make believe as the whole family plays together on the floor is like witnessing the truest form of love and beauty. We leave and head back to the bustle, and, like a photograph, the memory of seeing such a sincere composition of home stays with us to keep.

Tell us the story of finding your home.

While pregnant with our third baby, Merritt, (whose name ironically means “new path”) we felt a pull to be closer to extended family. Clayton and I started searching for homes in the area and found absolutely nothing. We prepared ourselves for a long road of house hunting, until we were reminded of just how quickly news travels in a small town.Within a few weeks, my mom called and said, “your Aunt knows of a house going on the market soon.” Merritt was 3 days old, Liv Elliott was 18 months old, and we were getting ready for Hugh’s 5th birthday party. I really couldn’t wrap my head around moving that soon, much less driving an hour east to see a home that may or may not be the right fit. Somehow, about a week later we were opening closet doors and chatting with the owners. Two months after that, the 1980s popcorn ceilings were being scraped and all of my rural Garden Cottage visions were brewing.

What's one ritual you do that makes it feel like your space?

Bringing in foliage from the yard, garden or even wood-lines. As the seasons turn, I like to go foraging to find plants and florals to bring in and fill all of the vessels that sit on my tables. Centerpiece hurricanes to single bud vases, if it’s filled with something in-season, they really help bring me into the moment. I like to think of it as seasonal dresses for inside my home. And nothing feels better than being present in your own home, soaking in whatever season of life you may be in.

What's one item around the house that you hold especially sacred?

My grandmother gave me her glassware and it sits on a shelf in our kitchen near the farm-sink. It looks a bit fancy for a kitchen, and would suit a dining room display better- but I love them so much that I put them on the highest shelf I could find. You could argue they add a little jazz to the daily dishes routine.

How do you pull your interiors together?

Gah, how do I sum it all up? I’d say our home direction is Swedish garden cottage with French antiques and Italian accents. West-coast relaxed, but grounded in that southern type of way. I’m inspired by so many things, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to use a 2-word style description. It’s all the beautifully understated fabrics. Architectural lines and textures. Sheep in a pasture. A good meal with the girls. Friends and family that just drop in with the ease and understanding you needed in that very moment- and then curl up on the extra deep sofa like you’d hoped they would when you picked it out at the store. Gardenia scent and garden hues. The way nature’s lines are wild and unpredictable. Van Morrison while the children play outside, windows open. My style is truly a big blur of inspiration that gets ignited by an issue of World of Interiors, Rose Uniacke, Get The Gusto, Sarah Winward, Jamb London, Gardenheir, Bode, The Row. If an Interior piece feels like any of these things above, I usually dub it as a keeper.

what are you currently placing on a pedestal?

I The extra 30minutes Clayton gives me on Saturday mornings to fully wake up before diving into motherhood duties.
II An afternoon drive over to Serenbe with my son to pick up Bamboo juice. Basil Watermelon allll summer long- (which he insists must go with his very own homemade peach oatmeal)
III Shooting with PageHouse (I mean it!) Could not feel more inspired and proud to see all of your work coming together. Love being part of this journey with you two.
IV Listening to the girls’ morning chatter in their cribs before I go in to get them.
V A bath with my favorite Mad at Len, while reading the book of Colossians (as of late), Secret Book of Flora Lea, Braiding Sweetgrass.